Red Bull have confirmed Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s new team-mate. It means Liam Lawson has been demoted back to junior team Racing Bulls after just two rounds of the new Formula 1 season.
The Kiwi failed to score a single point across those two Grands Prix in Australia and China and has struggled with Red Bull’s RB21 car which is difficult to drive. The team has accepted it needs to develop the car into a more compliant machine and believes the more experienced Tsunoda is better equipped to assist with that task.
The decision was made at a meeting of senior Red Bull chiefs earlier this week. Team principal Christian Horner, driver academy chief Helmut Marko and other shareholders were all in agreement about the way forward.
Tsunoda, in his fifth season in F1, will make his debut for Red Bull Racing at the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6. Horner said: “It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and as a result we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch.
“We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the world drivers’ championship and to reclaim the world constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision. We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car.
“We welcome him to the team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21.” He reiterated that the decision to drop Lawson was a kindness to the 23-year-old Kiwi who was struggling under the weight of the pressure.
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
Horner added: “We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly. Liam can gain experience as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a team he knows very well.”
Red Bull’s second seat has been a problem for many years now. Since Daniel Ricciardo made the decision to leave at the end of 2018, only Sergio Perez has lasted for longer than 18 months. Lawson’s situation is eerily similar to that of Pierre Gasly, who was demoted back to the junior squad after just 12 races in 2019 after buckling under the pressure.
Alex Albon was promoted to replace him but lost his place at the end of 2020 having managed only two podiums. Perez spent four seasons with Red Bull and won five races but his form nosedived last year after he was handed a contract extension.
When the Mexican was given his marching orders last December, Horner and Marko opted for Lawson’s potential over Tsunoda’s experience. But the latter has now been deemed to be a more important quality in the short term as Red Bull bid to save their season.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
